Trump Says He Wants DHS Chief Nielsen ‘to Be Much Tougher’
Trump said he likes Nielsen but suggested there was only a “chance” she’d be continuing in her position.
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he wants Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who has reportedly fallen out of favor over illegal immigration, “to be much tougher on the border” and suggested potential changes in his administration could also include Chief of Staff John Kelly.
In an interview that aired on “Fox News Sunday,” Trump said he likes Nielsen but suggested there was only a “chance” she’d be continuing in her position. He said was thinking about changing “three or four or five positions” and “maybe it’s going to end up being two.”’
“I want her to get much tougher and we’ll see what happens there,” Trump said of Nielsen.
The Washington Post has reported that Trump planned to remove Nielsen, whom he has blamed for what he calls a “crisis” of migration across the U.S. southern border.
Trump also suggested that his previous comments about keeping Kelly, a Nielsen ally, in his role until 2020 were no longer firm.
“John, at some point, is going to want to move on,” Trump said. “John will move on.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Brody in Washington at btenerellabr@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net, Mark Niquette
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